Smoking is out; vaping is in! E-cigarettes are much smarter, safer and sexier. E-cigarettes are great for women who are 'social' smokers as well as regular smokers who are trying to quit. Read on for the many, many reasons why women are switching to e-cigarettes in droves.

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Jun 26, 2013

Smoking and Drinking: Women Run Higher Risks

A new study has found that women who smoke and drink heavily
are at a higher risk of early death than their male counterparts.

It’s the latest study* of many that has found that us women
take even greater chances with our health than men when it comes to smoking. One of the biggest studies with over a million women
found that women who smoked a pack a day
reduced their life expectancy 11 years on average.

No fair: Women who drink and smoke run even greater risks than men do.

Now a new European
study found that women take a disproportionate risk from the effects of heavy
alcohol and tobacco use.

The study
followed a group of 380,000 people over age 40 for around 12 years; during that
period, 26,411 people died.

The study
confirmed that the mortality rates for smokers is anywhere from 1.5 to three
times higher than for people who never smoked.

The risk
naturally went up depending on how much the person drank and smoked: if the
death risk was a “1” for people who never smoked, this risk rose to 1.38 for
men who smoked one to 15 cigarettes a day, 1.86 for those who smoked 16 to 26
cigarettes, and 2.44 for men who smoked more than 26 cigarettes a day.

For women, the study
found the equivalent risks were similar: 1.32, 2.04 and 2.44 respectively.But the risks changed
dramatically when alcohol was thrown into the mix.

The study found
that the death risk rose to a massive 3.88 among women who smoked more than 26
cigarettes and drank more than 30 grams of alcohol a day.

In other words, women run nearly four times the risk of early death when they drink and smoke heavily.

“Women who
consume excessive amounts of alcohol have a significantly higher risk from
tobacco use than those who consume little or no alcohol," the authors concluded.What’s Worse?
Smoking or Drinking?
So if
you had to choose between smoking or drinking, which one should you choose? Which one is worse?

There’s
absolutely no doubt about it. Smoking carries a much higher risk of lung cancer
(30 times that of a non-smoker), breast cancer (up to 60 percent higher risk)
and early death.

Keep
in mind that drinking can increase the urge to smoke (some call it "social smoking"), and vice-versa: smoking can make you want to drink more.

Taken
together, these two addictions work hand-in-hand, causing women to smoke
and drink more than they should.

It’s double-trouble. And it adds up to more
than double the risk of a not-so-happy ending.

If that isn’t a
buzzkill, I don’t know what is.

*This study was published in May in the journal Bulletin epidemiologique hebdomadaire (BEH)

Jun 6, 2013

Surrounded by Women Who Smoke, I Understand the Reasons Why

My mom started smoking as a young woman, before the health risks were known.

Fortunately, most of
the women who are near and dear to me have either switched
to vaping or quit altogether.

My mom quit cold
turkey after smoking for over 30 years. My daughter Emma quit smoking after a
month-long transition using the e-cigarette starter kit I gave her. Close friends like
my friend Lisa are now vaping instead of smoking, and she even turned her dad’s
wife, a long-term smoker, onto vaping our beautiful black e-cigarette!

Many women start
smoking as teenagers – perhaps as a form of rebellion, to be cool, or to bond
with their friends. Later on, women will often smoke when drinking. “Social smoking” is aptly named, because it IS a social experience, something that
binds us women together.

When we drink or
smoke (or both) with our women friends, we feel we can share our deep, dark
secrets, knowing we will be understood and supported.

As we huddle together, we feel protected from the rest of the world.

I totally get it. I
went to an all-girls boarding school (Emma Willard School, Troy, N.Y.) and
being accepted by the “in” crowd was an important part of my life on campus.

Fortunately, I was able to be "cool" without smoking, mostly because I had the
best collection of rock records: Jimi Hendrix, CSNY, the Rolling Stones,
Jefferson Airplane, the Beatles, and so on.

Women Light Up Alone, Too

Research has found
that women also light up alone, as a way of
dealing with stress.

A survey of 1,000 people commissioned by an Edinburgh company found that
women were more likely than men to smoke alone. This finding suggests that
women attach some shame to their smoking habit – perhaps because they know it
is becoming less socially acceptable.

One-third of women smokers said they smoked when they were stressed out,
and they smoked even more when they felt under greater stress.

A psychologist said: “As women are more likely to smoke alone as a coping
mechanism, the psychological effects of nicotine addiction become more
accelerated. Smoking is often an auto-response, rather than a conscious
decision. Breaking these embedded habits can be incredibly difficult.”

Having a cigarette may feel like a reward and a way to deal with stress or
anxiety. But we all know deep down that smoking causes cancer and a host of other health issues. So it can
bring on a whole new level of stress – the stress that comes from knowing we’re
doing something that’s bad for us.

It’s a little like eating a big piece of chocolate cake when we know we need to lose weight. It may fill a temporary craving, but we know we
needed that piece of cake like we needed another hole in the head.

Bonding through Vaping

I quit drinking two years ago, and with it, gave up the bonding
experience I thought I was having with my friends. Of course, it turned out
that some of these “friends” were no more than drinking buddies.

Vaping with our women friends gives us that bonding experience we crave.

I also gave up the crutch I thought was
helping me cope with the stress in my life from dealing with a bipolar
boyfriend, depressed teenaged daughter, and the ups and downs from being
self-employed.

It’s very difficult to go from having a crutch such as smoking or drinking
to nothing. That’s why vaping is such a Godsend.

About Me

I own Vaping Vamps, the only e-cigarette brand created by women, for women. We sell the kinds of e-cigarettes women prefer, including e-cigarette starter kits, refill cartomizers and e-cigarette cases.

I also own VERVE, an inbound marketing firm that helps other small businesses build their brands and connect with customers using the best practices in website SEO and content, blogging, social media and P.R. In other words, we help small businesses get found online.

I love living in Minneapolis, Minn., but escape to Jamaica during the winter!